19 November 2005

I have a feeling my job as a television producer for a major cable news network will provide lots of fodder for my blog. I'm the senior producer of a weekly public affairs show, but I also help produce a weekly 2-hour live newscast. And this being Thanksgiving week, I booked a segment on -- get this -- turkey flavored SODA. The host of the show will be sampling that -- and other cool flavors like salmon pate -- on national television in about an hour's time. Should be fun, hee hee.

18 November 2005

Visited an old college chum and his partner tonight. We brought by a gift for their new baby daughter and enjoyed some dinner with them at Chef Geoff's, this great restaurant just up the street from them. They were over the moon for their little girl. Totally love struck. We peppered them with questions on everything from baby strollers and diaper genies to how to respond to nosy questions from the general public. It made my partner and I long for our own baby -- but agreed our timeline for 1 1/2 to 2 years was ideal. So much to learn, but we feel secure knowing we have so many dear friends (both gay and straight) who have blazed this trial before us.

13 November 2005

Found this great quote from Martin Luther King Jr about jazz and the blues. It's from a speech he gave at the start of the 1964 Berlin jazz festival. "Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music."

13 November 2005

Sometimes the best plan is no plan at all. A comedy of errors prevented us from getting to a pre-appointed show with friends last night. We sped downtown only to find a a packed theatre with our seats smack dab in the middle of the row, about 15 rows from the stage. It was an intimate setting -- and we didn't want to disrupt the performance. So after standing around looking awkward, we decided to leave. It was a short stroll to one of our favorite restaurants, Logan Tavern. There was a wait (as usual) but we took refuge at a nearby bistro for some drinks. And the wait (as usual) was worth it. We were rewarded with a fabulous meal, part of which our friends (that we blew off earlier) took part in, as well. Then it was off to a little community, non-profit jazz & blues joint that I always meant to return to. It's called HR-57, named for the House bill that proclaimed jazz and the blues national treasures. The decor is no great shakes...brick walls with the works for local artists, a ceiling in various states of disrepair, some tables and folding chairs. I'm sure it's quite a sight in broad daylight. But this was Saturday night. The lights were low. The votives on the tables were flickering. The merlot was fragrant and peppery. My partner -- who's also a jazz lover from her college days in New Orleans -- looked positively radiant. And the jazz was magnificent. We both agreed to patronize and support this place more often.